Don't Cry for Me
by Penybright
Summary: Van! Hitomi cried, but no one was there. He was calling to her, she realized. He was calling out to her from Gaea.


Body ~ This piece (I think) shall remain a one shot. That is, unless, someone can convince me otherwise... (which is highly unlikely) Anyway, this would best be categorized as drama/angst. It's kind of a tear-jerker too. 

Disclaimer: Escaflowne and its characters etc., do not belong to me. 

Don't Cry For Me 

By: Penybright 

Beautiful colors of gold and crimson were splashed across the sky as sunset approached. Hitomi Kanzaki sighed as she stared peacefully at the darkening sky. Wisps of violet and lavender began to snake their way into the ruddy heavens, signaling the coming evening. Hitomi's peaceful contemplation was interrupted suddenly. 

_"Hitomi!"_

"Van?" Hitomi questioned out loud, sitting up. 

_"Hitomi, please... Help..."_

"Van!" Hitomi cried, but no one was there. He was calling to her, she realized. He was calling out to her from Gaea. 

_"Hitomi..."_

Van's voice was laced with pain, and seemed to be getting fainter. Hitomi closed her eyes, picturing Van in her mind. She knew that something was wrong. She only hoped that she could get to him in time. 

_"I'm coming Van. Hold on..."_

Hitomi focused all her thoughts on Van, wishing to the depths of her soul to be taken to him. She was rewarded, when a pillar of blinding light surrounded her, pulling Hitomi into the heavens. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Hitomi's feet touched the ground lightly, and she opened her eyes to a rather unexpected and horrifying scene. She was in Fanelia, but it wasn't the Fanelia she expected to see. Everything was eerily quiet, the only sound the crackle of burning wood. The sky was dark and brooding, smudged by the black smoke billowing upward. Everywhere buildings were being consumed by hungry flames, lapping eagerly at the exposed structures. It was the Fanelia she remembered from before the restoration. Before the end of... 

"Van!" Hitomi exclaimed, snapping out of her reverie. Without a second thought, Hitomi dashed through the streets, heading towards the palace. She had to reach Van! As Hitomi ran further into the city, she encountered the scorched and charred remains of what were once the citizenry of Fanelia. Bile rose into her throat and she stumbled to a stop, spewing up what had been her dinner. 

After emptying her stomach, Hitomi stumbled on, desperately trying to reach Van. She knew something was terribly wrong. A sense of foreboding dread had formed in the pit of her stomach, and it wouldn't go away. She immediately realized why when she reached the main entrance to the palace. 

"Please god, no!" Hitomi cried, rushing over to the prone form and collapsing to her knees. 

"Van..." Hitomi choked out, trying to push back her tears. Van was partially propped against a wall, leaning there limply. Soot smudged every inch of him, and gray ash had settled into his hair, giving Van the look of a ghost. Van's clothes were tattered and torn, showing numerous gashes and wounds. Around him a growing puddle of crimson was forming. 

"Hitomi... You came." 

"Van, what happened?" Hitomi asked, on the verge of hysteria. 

"The curse..." 

"Curse, what curse? Van what are you talking about!?!" 

"I'm a Draconian, one of the accursed people of Atlantis... I guess the curse finally caught up with me," Van said softly, managing a weak smile. "It's fitting I suppose. Atlantis was consumed by flames, and now..." 

"Van, you're not making any sense. What happened?" Hitomi nearly shouted. 

Van tilted his head to look at her sadly. He seemed to be considering whether or not to tell her what had occurred. 

"We were attacked... by an unknown enemy." 

"But... Fanelia has one of the greatest armies in Gaea. How... How is that possible..." 

"We used to have one of the best armies, Hitomi... After the war, my country men and I put more effort and worth into the people and the land, not armies and soldiers." 

"Van... Is everyone..." 

"I don't know, though I do hope---" Van was cut off as he convulsed into a fit of coughing. When the coughing subsided, Van allowed his head to fall back against the wall. 

Hitomi was shocked to see specks of blood on Van's lips. 

"V- Van..." 

"I'm glad you came. I wanted to see you one last time..." 

"Don't talk like that! You're going to be fine. I'll find Merle, and she'll know who to get---" 

Van shook his head solemnly. 

"Merle's... d-dead," Van managed to grit out before another coughing spell hit him. No longer able to hold himself up, Van slid the rest of the way down the wall. His coughing worsened, as he began to choke on his own blood. Hitomi quickly pulled his head up, resting it on her lap. She wasn't going to let go of him so easily. 

Van looked up tiredly, to find a pair of dazzling green eyes gazing down at him tenderly. Hitomi gave Van a wavering smile as she brushed back the ebony locks that had fallen in his face. Van quickly avoided her gaze, looking away. 

"It's all... my fault," he said painfully. "I caused all of this," Van whispered. 

"That's not true," Hitomi countered. "You can't place all the blame on you." 

"That's one of the reasons I love you so much," Van paused, taking in a shaky breath. "You always believed in me... no matter what." 

"I love you too, Van, and I still believe in you," Hitomi responded gently. Van closed his eyes, sighing softly. His eyes snapped open when he felt something warm and wet hit his cheek. A pair of wavering green orbs greeted his vision. 

"Don't cry..." Van murmured, painfully reaching his hand up to Hitomi's face. He cupped the side of her face in his palm, brushing away her tears with his thumb. 

The angry flames that had already consumed the city were now feasting on the palace. Fire roared to life around the couple on the blood soaked floor. 

"You have to go now," Van breathed. 

"No," Hitomi replied, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving without you." 

"It's to late for me Hitomi..." 

"No! It's never to late," she cried, as fresh tears fell from her eyes. 

"Don't cry because of me," Van pleaded. "It... it's better this way..." 

"I don't want it to be this way!" Hitomi protested. "I don't want you to leave me!" 

"I'll never leave you---" Van was interrupted by another bought of coughing, this one worse than the others. Beams began to fall as the building collapsed around the two. 

"Go. Please, for me," Van implored. Hitomi hesitated, not wanting to leave him to die alone. 

"I- I... can't." 

"Please," Van protested weakly, shuddering. 

"No," Hitomi said flatly, holding his hand against her face. "I'm not going without you." 

"Then, I'm afraid... I'll have... to- to..." 

"I'm staying with you," Hitomi shouted. "I'm not leaving!" 

Van looked at her tear streaked face and felt his heart being torn to shreds. 

"I'm... sorry..." Van exhaled with a wavering voice. 

Van used his free hand to grasp the pendant around his neck. He knew what the pendant could do. Hitomi had given it to him at their last parting. He clutched the pendant to him as black began to invade the edges of his vision. He was losing feeling in his limbs, and it was becoming harder to breathe. Hitomi noticed the change in Van and began to weep harder. 

"Don't... don't cry... anymore," Van managed in a raspy whisper. Closing weary eyes, Van concentrated. The pendant began to glow, casting off a warm rosy light. Hitomi gasped in surprise, then cried out when she realized what was happening. 

"No!" she cried, trying to snatch the pendant from Van, but it was to late. Hitomi watched in horror as Van's hand slid limply from her face. White light enveloped her, lifting her skyward. The last thing Hitomi saw, was Van's melancholy smile before he faded into the realm of the spirits, to live with the angels, where he truly belonged... 


End file.
